Adjustable stage-floor.



G..E. CURRAN &.A. B. CRAIG.

ADJUSTABLE STAGE FLOOR. 7 APPLICATI-ON nun JULY 13. 1 91's.

1,220,200. Patented Mar. 27, 1917,.

12 Z6 34 m 24 w UNITED STATES PATENT ornioE- GEORGE E. oUnR An, omoswoimm ARTHUR B. CRAIG, or soMEnvrLLE,

MASSACHUSETTS.

ADJUSTABLE STAGE-FLOOR.

Application filed luly 13,1916. Serial 110,109,177.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. QnnR N, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and.

ARTHUR B. CRAIG, a subject of King George V, residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex, both in the State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Stage-Floors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an adjustable stage floor for theaters, the object of the invention being to provide a floor for the stage of a theater which can be taken up .in sections of'any desired size without cutting the floor or the joists or timbers by which said floor is supported. It is oftentimes necessary in a theater stage to remove a portion of the floor to form a trap or to inserta stairway leading from the basement or to insert a tank and for other purposes. These openings are of different sizes and it may be desirable to locate them anywhere upon the portion of the stage visible from the auditorium.

The invention consists in an adjustable stage floor as hereinafter described in the specification andparticularly as set forthin the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a stage floor embodying our invention the stage walls being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3. I I

Fig. 5 is a detail section similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a modified form of clamp plates.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 is the permanent stage floor, 6 the adjustablestage floor and 7 the walls surrounding the stage. The adjustable stage fioor 6 consists of a plurality of series 8, 9, 10 and 11 of floor boards. Each 7 of these series preferably contains floor Specification of Letters Patent.

two of the floor boards in each series are substantially equal to the width of one of the other floor boards in the same seriesthat is, the width of a plurality of floor boards in one series is substantially equal to the width of a less number of floor boards in the same series. For example, in series 8 the floor boards 12, 13, 14 and 15 may be three feet wide while the floor board 16 is two feet wide and the floor board 17 is is one foot wide. If it is desired then, to have an opening two feet wide the floor boards 16 and 17 are taken up, as hereinafter described, the floor board 14 is placed in the space formerly occupied by the floor boards 16 and 17 and the floor board 17- is placed in a portion of the space formerly occupied by the floor board 14 adjacent to the floor board 13 or the floor board 15 as may be desired.

If the space one foot wide is desired, then the floor board 16 is placed in a portion of the space formerly occupied by the floor board 14. If a space four feet wide is "desired, then the floor board 14 may be removed and also the floor board 13 and the floor board 16 inserted in one or the other of the spaces formerly occupied by the floor boards 13 or 14. If a space five feet wide is desired the twofloo-r boards-13 and 14 may be removed and the'floor board 17 placed in a portion of the space formerly occupied by the board 13 or the floor board 14', as the tank is to be inserted filling the space all of the floor boards and their supports may be removed.

The floor boards. are detachably fastened to joists 18 by bolts 19 which are secured to said floor boards by cleats 20' and project downwardly therefrom to engage clamp plates .21, said clamp plates extending.

through slots 22 in said joists. By screwing up on the nuts 23 the floor boardsare thus clamped to the joists and by unscrewing the nuts 23 the floor boards may be detached from the joists. The joists 18 are prevented from tipping by braces 24; which project into slots 25 formed in cleats 26 fast to the sides of said joists 18. It will thus be seen that the braces 24: constitute removable members which extend between adjacent joists and abut at their opposite ends thereagainst, whereby said joists may be correctly positioned and held in upright position.

The permanent flooring 5 is fastened to permanent joists 27 which rest upon girders 28. The opposite ends of the joists 18 are adjustably supported upon girders 29, said joists 18 being adjustable laterally thereof upon said girders 29. The joists 18 are still further supported intermediate the girders 29 by one or more beams 30, said beams be ing supported at their ends upon the girders 28 and intermediate their ends by movable supports 31 and jacks 32, the jacks 32 resting upon the supports 31 beneath and in contact with the beams 18.

The number of vertical supports 31 and jacks 32 may be varied at pleasure, as may also the beams 30 in accordance with the size of the stage and the weight or strains to which said stage is subjected. It will be seen that the joists 18 may be moved laterally to any desired position by moving them along on the girders 29, or said joists may be entirely removed. Also it will be obvious that the beams 30 may be moved to any desired position by sliding them along on the girders 28 and the supporting posts 31 may also be moved, as they are not fastened or embedded in the floor upon which they rest.

It will thus be seen that an opening of any desired size and in any desired position may be obtained within the-space occupied by the adjustable floor 6 without cutting or injuring in any way any portion of said adjustable floor either as to the floor boards, the joists or the beams.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of clamp plate in which the clamp plates 21 on the bolts 19 extend into slots 22 in the opposite faces of the joist 18 instead of a single clamp plate 21 as illustrated in Fig. i. The advantage of this construction resides in the fact that the slots 22 are made of sufiicient length so that when the nuts 23 are loosened the clamp plates 21 can be rotated on the bolts 19 out of the slots 22 and thus out of engagement with the joist 18.

We claim:

1. An adjustable stage floor having, in combination, a plurality of floor boards arranged in series, supports therefor and means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said supports, the width of a plurality of floor boards in one series being substantially equal to the width of one of the other of said floor boards in the same series.

combination, a plurality of floor boards, a

plurality of joists extending transversely of said floor boards, means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said joists and girders extending transversely of said joists upon which said joists are adjustably supported, and removable members extending between adjacent joists and abutting thereagainst, whereby said joists may be correctly positioned and held in upright position.

3. An adjustable stage floor having, in combination, a plurality of floor boards arranged in series, the width of a plurality of floor boards in one series being substantially equal to the width of a less number of floor boards in the same series, a plurality of joists extending transversely of said fioor boards, means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said joists and girders extending transversely of said joists upon which said joists are adjustably supported.

4. An adjustable stage floor having, in combination, a plurality of floorboards, a plurality of oists extending transversely of said floor boards, means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said joists, girders extending transversely of said joists upon which the opposite ends of said joists are adjustably supported and a beam intermediate said girders upon whichsaid joists are partly supported.

5. An adjustable stage floor having, in combination, a plurality of floor boards, a plurality of joists extending transversely of said floor boards, means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said joists, girders extending transversely of said joists upon which the opposite ends of said joists are adjustably supported, a beam intermediate said girders upon which said joists are partly supported, and girders extending transversely of said beam and upon which the opposite ends of said beam are adjustably supported.

(3. An adjustable stage floor having, in combination, a plurality of floor boards,a plurality of joists extending transversely of said floor boards, means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said joists,

girders extending transversely of said joists.

upon which the opposite ends of said joists are adjustably supported, a beam intermediate said girders upon which said joists are partly supported, girders extending transversely of said beam and upon which the opposite ends of said beam are adjustably supported, a movable support and a jack resting on said support beneath and in contact with said beam.

7. An adjustable stage floor having, in combination, a plurality of floor boards, a plurality of joists extending transversely of said floor boards, means for detachably fastening said floor boards to said joists, set our hands in presence of two subscribing girders extending transversely of said jolsts witnesses. upon which said joists are adjust-ably sup- GEORGE E. CURRAN. ported, cleats fast to the slde faces of sand joists and provided with slots and members ARTHUR CRAIG extending between adjacent joists with their i/Vitnesses: V opposite ends projecting into said slots. SYDNEY E. 'TAFT,

In testimony whereof We have hereunto HATTIE E. STRATTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. G. 

